Weapons of War by Canadian Red Cross

Weapons of War: Weapons that keep on killing

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Notes to the Facilitator Learning Objectives PURPOSE

To explore with the participants the issues with landmines and cluster munitions and get a sense of how difficult it is to survive the peace after an armed conflict has ended

OBJECTIVES to empower participants with the knowledge of landmines and cluster munitions and their dangers 2. to create empathy and understanding for victims of ERWs 3. to inform participants on what is being done on a global scale around the issues of landmines and cluster munitions 4. to let participants know how they can get involved and what they can do to help with this problem 1.

Workshop Outline with Timings I

III

TRUST WALK ACTIVITY • Trust Walk • Hot Debriefing & Processing

25 min.

INFORMATION SESSION • Landmines • Cluster Munitions

20 min.

15 10 10 10

CASE STUDIES 20 min. • Reading and discussing in groups • Summarising and discussing as a group

IV 4 STEP SOLUTION • The 4 Step Solution

10 min.

TAKING ACTION • Taking Personal Action

Total time:

Weapons of War: Weapons that keep on killing

10 10 10 10

85 minutes (1 hour and 25 minutes)

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Facilitator’s Tools Your tools for the Weapons of War: Weapons that keep on killing session include the Facilitator Guide and handouts.

Facilitator Guide The Facilitator Guide is your reference tool. In order for the training to proceed smoothly, it is essential that you use the Guide in both your preparation process and workshop facilitation. It outlines the training sequence, as well as suggestions for your interventions. It includes the following elements: Top of page:  Title of the section  Duration of the section Left column:  Topic  Approximate duration  Material required for the topic Right column:  Learning activities: instructions for addressing topics, questions to ask, answers sought, key points to emphasize  Generally, speaking points are bulleted, whereas instructions to the facilitator are not. Symbols Used

Duration

Q: Questions to ask

Handout

Slide / Overhead / Visual Flipchart

Weapons of War: Weapons that keep on killing

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List of Required Materials Material •

Flip chart stand and paper

•

Your flip charts for this workshop

•

Felt pens

•

Masking tape

•

Blindfolds

•

Balloons and pin to pop balloons

•

Pick-Me-Ups

•

Scenarios for the Trust Walk activity

•

(optional but recommended) Model landmines

IMPORTANT: It is imperative that the facilitator personally researches the issues of landmines, cluster munitions and ERWs extensively before running this workshop, as there is a lot to know about these weapons and the consequences of their usage. Not only will it be necessary to know the impacts of these weapons on people and communities, but it is also important to know what is being done about them. The 4 Step Solution section contains a lot of information, and being familiar with the subject will allow you to add or reduce material that is relevant to your group. Also, knowing what individuals have done in the past on these issues will that participants get a sense of how they themselves may take action. A good place to start is the Canadian Red Cross Landmine and Cluster Bomb Action Toolkit 2010. It explores the issues in greater depth, including different types of these weapons, and what is being done about them. Other organisations that provide resources and information on these issues are the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, Mines Advisory Group, Mines Action Canada, the HALO Trust, the Cluster Munitions Coalition, etc. If you have statistics that conflict, it is advisible to stick with Red Cross statistics. If quoting other organisations, be sure to cite your sources.

Weapons of War: Weapons that keep on killing

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Trust Walk Activity Topic / Duration / Materials

25 minutes

Learning Activities Preparation

Duration: 10 mins (before the workshop)

INSTRUCTIONS: Preparation for this workshop should only take about 10 minutes, but it is absolutely necessary. Be sure to have the following materials ready: - Flip chart stand and paper - Your flip charts for this workshop - Felt pens - Masking tape - Blindfolds - Balloons and pin to pop balloons - Pick-Me-Ups - Scenarios for the Trust Walk activity - (optional but recommended) Model landmines Scatter the Pick-Me-Ups (laminated landmine cutouts) around the area the participants will be walking through (the mine field). If you do not have Pick-Me-Ups, sheets of paper may suffice or you may simply use your judgement to decide which participants trigger ERWs. Blow up as many balloons as you have Pick-Me-Ups set down. If you are running two workshops in a row, it may be advisable to blow up twice the number of balloons so that you are prepared for the next workshop right away. It may also be a good idea to hide the balloons from plain sight, in case you want to blindfold the participants inside the room Trust Walk

Duration: 15 mins

INSTRUCTIONS: Instruct the participants to blindfold themselves, then lead them into the room. You may have the participants lined up against a wall and have them try to reach the opposite wall, or form a wide circle and have them try to reach the other side of the

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities circle. After setup is complete, give this introduction to the scenario: "This morning you spent some time as Paxonians ... we are going to revisit this: It has been 5 years since the civil war has ended in Paxium. Although there is peace now, the country is still recovering from the after effects of war – Rebuilding destroyed homes and schools, rehabilitating victims and reintegrating the wounded back into society. Paxonians that have survived the war must struggle to survive the peace. The once fertile land of Paxium is now littered with deadly and hidden dangers. Landmines and other leftovers from the war, such as cluster bombs and live grenades are scattered across the fields and villages. You are all inhabitants of a village near the city of Cameron, which was in the middle of the battle zone. As on all days, you have to go about your daily business – fetching water for your family, walking to school, working in the fields and collecting firewood. You know that there are a lot of mines around your village but you are not sure exactly where. You have to continue with your life and daily tasks despite the unseen danger. Every step you take is a risk – a risk that you try not to think about.” Instruct the participants that if they feel a tap on their shoulders, they are to walk forward in a straight line until they are told to stop. Coordinate with your support so that they know when to pop a balloon. It is easier and more efficient if the supporting facilitator has the balloons on hand to pop. If a participant steps on a mine: - Pop a balloon - Read out an appropriate scenario - Guide the participant to the side and have them sit

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities If a participant does not step on a mine: - Congratulate them by saying, “You have safely completed your tasks for the day.” - Read out an appropriate scenario (indirectly affected) - Guide the participant to the side and have them sit After 15 minutes, call an end to the activity by asking everyone to remove their blindfolds, step out of their roles and sit in a circle. NOTE: Not all the participants need to go, and in fact, it may even be strategic in the following processing section if some participants do not go, and/or do not step on mines, as this allows for a diverse range of experiences. Hot Debriefing and Processing

Duration: 10 mins

This is where we want to make sure participants are able to get all their emotions out so that they may explore the activity in greater depth. INSTRUCTIONS: The debriefing questions below are guidelines to help you explore with participants the specific events and dynamics that took unfolded during the activity—what was done, said, seen, heard, felt and thought. It is important to always explore variations (‘Did anyone see it/feel differently/) in order to draw out all aspects of the activity. Pay attention to what you saw and heard during the activity to also help you come up with apprpriate questions and probes. • • • • • • • • • •

How was that for everyone? Would anyone like to share their initial reactions? Does anyone feel the same/differently? Any emotions you would like to share? Frustration? Scared? Is anyone confused? Who went through the minefield? How did that feel? Who made it through the minefield? How did that feel? Who did not have to go through? How did that feel? How did it feel as you were waiting? Does anyone feel like they won?

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities • Does anyone feel like they lost? Now that the participants have had a chance to express their emotions and are in a better place to explore the activity in a systematic fashion. A suitable transition from hot debriefing to processing would be something along the lines of, “Let’s go back to the beginning of the activity”. • • • • • • • • • •

What happened at the very beginning of the activity? What were your thoughts about the blindfolds? What happened after you were led into the room? Who was tapped on the shoulder? What happened? What did you think happened when you heard the mine go off? What happened after you stepped on a mine? Who made it through without stepping on a mine? What happened? Do you remember what was said to you afterwards? Did you have any strategies as you walked through the mine field? What did you think was going to happen as the simulation progressed?

NOTE: Again, these questions are merely examples that may be used. The facilitator must be able to adapt to the responses of the group and follow the organic process, rather than following the list of questions.

Information Session

20 minutes

Topic / Duration / Material

Learning Activities Landmines

Duration: 10 mins Materials: - Model landmines

(alternative) Fill-In-The-Blanks Worksheet

You may opt to have some of the information and answers written on a flip chart

The responses generated from the brainstorming can be written down on a flip chart

An alternative to the Information Session is to use a fill-inthe-blanks worksheet where the facilitator reads through with the answers and then briefly discusses types of mines and cluster bombs. This process is estimated to take the 20 minutes allotted to this section (12 minutes for the worksheet). The method presented here is more interactive. • Although there are many other weapons that pose a threat after the end of an armed conflict, in this workshop we will be exploring the effects of landmines and cluster bombs. • But before we really delve into the consequences, it’s important to know what these weapons actually are. • Could someone share what they think landmines are? - Explosives that are placed on or near the ground that are designed to be triggered by their victims through contact, proximity or presence. • There are two major types of landmines: Anti-Personnel (AP) mines and Anti-Vehicular (AV) mines. The focus of this workshop is on AP mines. • Based on the scenarios that were read to you during the simulation (Trust Walk), what are some of the major humanitarian concerns of using landmines? - Indiscriminate (cannot tell the difference between the footsteps of a child or those of a soldier) - Cause excessive suffering (landmines by their nature are designed to maim, not kill) – (an interesting anecdote used to illustrate this point is the landmine known as the PMN, a Russian mine that is also known as the Black Widow. Initially, it was designed to carry 240 grams of explosives, but when it was found that this actually caused more deaths than injuries, the PMN-2 was created with 100 grams. They found that this was just enough to destroy the victim’s legs, but not necessarily kill them) - Long lasting (continue to claim lives even after the conflicts that they were meant to be used in) • Does anyone know of other problems associated with landmines? (Brainstorm) - Millions in the ground

Topic / Duration / Material It may be helpful to write this information on a flip chart

Learning Activities -

Affect over 80 countries Cheap to produce or purchase (can cost from $3 to $30) Mostly affect civilians (70 to 75% of victims are civilians) Attractive to handle (can be objects of curiosity to children) Is considered a banned weapon (explained further later in the workshop)

At this point, you may go through the different types of landmines that are used (blast mines, stake mines, bounding mines, fragmentation mines, etc) and show some of the model landmines to provide participants with a better sense of what they look like. • Does anyone have any questions regarding landmines? Cluster Munitions Duration: 10 mins

• Could someone share what they think cluster bombs are? - A cluster bomb is a metal canister which contains dozens to hundreds of small sub-munitions or “bomblets” which are designed to explode on impact or after a timed delay • What are the problems associated with cluster bombs? -

Indiscriminate when used in populated areas High failure rate –act as landmines when they are dropped on the ground Large number of sub-munitions per container (In the summer of 2006, it is estimated that as many as 4 million cluster sub-munitions may have been fired at southern Lebanon. The UK has found that the type of cluster bomb used had a failure rate of up to 2.3%. Using this figure, about 92,000 unexploded submunitions were left and remain in Southern Lebanon) Attractive to handle (Bright colours and attractive shapes. The ICRC found that people who are injured by cluster munitions are 5 times more likely to be under the age of 14 compared to landmines)

• When these facts are combined, they clearly show how cluster bombs can quickly replace the landmine issue at a rapid pace.

Topic / Duration / Material

Learning Activities • Does anyone have any questions regarding cluster bombs? • Unexploded cluster bombs and landmines fit under a broader category known as Explosive Remnants of War (ERWs), which include all explosives that have failed to detonate or were abandoned during the conflict. NOTE: It is crucial the facilitators stress the importance of the next point. Although this section of the workshop begins to discuss the technicalities of the weapons, it is vital to bring participants back to the human level of the issue. • Although landmines and cluster bombs are different weapons by design, they have similar impact on people’s lives: • Deny access to land used for agriculture • Create a constant sense of fear in the community • Both maim or kill indiscriminately once on/in the ground.

III Case Studies

20 minutes

Topic / Duration / Material

Learning Activities Case Studies

Duration: 10 mins

• This is merely the tip of the iceberg, as the impacts on human life goes much, much deeper. • To get a better sense of some of these impacts, we are now going to look at case studies, thing that have actually happened to people living in areas affected by landmines and/or cluster bombs. Split the participants into 5 groups and distribute the case studies.

Case Studies 1-5

• In your groups, read through the case studies, summarise them and discuss the answers to the questions on the flip chart. -

It may be helpful to write the instructions on a flip chart

What are some of the circumstances that lead to tragedies? What are your responses to these case studies? How have the lives of victims changed? Reading these case studies what have you found to be some of the social, economic, and medical consequences of landmines and ERWs?

Write the questions to the case studies on a After approximately 10 minutes since the start of this flip chart

section, split the existing groups into letter groups (A to F, or smaller if the number of participants are less). The following diagram should provide a clearer picture. Group 1 A B C Etc...

Group 2 A B C Etc...

Group 3 A B C Etc...

Group A A A A

Group B B B B

Group C C C C

Topic / Duration / Material

Duration: 10 mins

Learning Activities • In your new groups, share your summaries of the case study that you read so that everyone is able to get a bigger picture. • In about 5 minutes, we will be discussing the last question together as a group. After giving the new groups 5 minutes to summarise their case studies, gather everyone’s attention and dicuss the following question as a group:

- Reading these case studies what have you found to If time permits, write down their responses be some of the social, economic, and medical to the social, consequences of landmines and ERWs? economic and medical If time permits, write the responses down on flip charts. If consequences on you have 2 supporting facilitators, it might help to have three separate flip them write down responses for the other flip charts. charts

IV 4 Step Solution

10 minutes

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities 4 Step Solution

Duration: 10 mins

• Now that we’ve had a chance to look some of the consequences of using landmines and cluster bombs, it is important that we find out what is being done to solve this issue. • Can anyone tell me what is being done regarding landmines and cluster bombs on a global scale? - Global ban - Clearance - Victim and survivor assistance - Education (Risk Reduction) • Collectively, these actions are known as the 4 Step Solution. Though the name implies they are done sequentially, they must be done simultaneously to be effective.

It may be a good idea 1. Global Ban to write down the 4 • The Ottawa Treaty bans anti-personnel landmines from Steps beforehand being used, stockpiled, produced, sold and transferred. and reveal them

• The global trade in landmines has virtually halted. Even

nations that have not signed the treaty and who still have Consider writing down some of the landmines do not sell them. more important points • As of August 18th 2010, the Ottawa Treaty has 156 of each of the 4 steps states that are bound by its laws. on flip charts, as this • Certain non-state armed groups (NSAGs) such as the provides visual stimuli

Polisario Front in Western Sahara have also banned landmines. At least 59 NSAGs across 13 countries have committed to halt use of antipersonnel mines in the last 10 years. • Some countries not party to the treaty and armed groups continue to use mines. • The Convention on Cluster Munitions (also known as the Oslo Treaty) is a global ban on cluster bombs that was recently created in 2008 and has recently come in to force as of August 1st 2010. • The Oslo Treaty currently has 38 ratified states and 108

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities signatories (see extra notes for the difference between the two) as of August 18th. 2010. Under International Law, the states that have ratified the treaty are legally bound by its terms as of August 2010. • Canada has not yet ratified the Oslo Treaty, even though it was one of the countries leading the Ottawa Treaty coming in to power. 2. Clearance • In order to ensure people’s safety, clearance must take place in all regions affected by landmines, cluster bombs and ERWs. • The Ottawa and Oslo Treaties require member states to clear mines and cluster bombs, respectively, in their own territory, or support clearance efforts in mined countries. See extra notes for states that have completed demining within their territories. 3. Assistance to Victims and Survivors • Victims and survivors require: • Medical and rehabilitation services; • Economic and social reintegration services. • More money, resources, and research are needed to ensure that mine clearance deadlines are met and clearance efforts sped up. Only when all mines and cluster bombs are removed can we ensure that there are no new victims. • The number of new mine victims has fallen dramatically, in some cases by as much as two-thirds or more. 4. Risk Reduction • People, especially children, must be made aware of the threats caused by these leftovers of war in order to reduce the risk of future mine accidents. • People living in affected regions need help developing risk-reduction strategies. NOTE: It may be difficult to fit all of the above information into 10 minutes, which is why it is all the more important that you as the facilitator make yourself comfortable with the information and are able to judge what information is important to your group and what can be condensed. The above information is from the Canadian Red Cross

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities Landmine and Cluster Bomb Action Toolkit 2010 section on the 4 Step Solution. The toolkit provides greater detail on each of those 4 steps. â&#x20AC;˘ Any questions regarding the 4 Step Solution or its individual steps?

Taking Action

Topic / Duration / Materials

10 minutes

Learning Activities Taking Personal Action

Duration: 10 mins

Write down the brainstormed action ideas on a flip chart

• As we saw from the 4 Step Solution, there is action being taken to solve the issues brought on by landmines and cluster bombs. • However, these issues are by no means fixed yet. Especially the use of cluster bombs, which has become an increasingly bigger problem. • Even action against landmines has been receiving less support as time goes on. • Action against these issues must persist, and must grow stronger. • Support on a global scale stems from support on an individual scale. • What are some of the ways you have supported action against these weapons? (Could be personal initiative that the participants have taken – events, letter writing, etc; or could be initiative that the facilitators have taken) • What are some ways that we can support continued action? - organize a large landmines awareness event in your school (CLAW – Canadian Landmine Awareness Week) - get involved in raising funds for operations in mineaffected counties and communities - join or start a Red Cross or global issues club at your school - get involved with other students who are committed to social justice and development - write to government and elected representatives (Canada has not yet ratified the Oslo Treaty!) - consider contacting all local media sources regarding events you are holding around these issues - write letters to the editor, contribute essays or even any artwork or posters for possible publication in your local newspapers - share your knowledge, ideas and concerns with others

Topic / Duration / Materials

Learning Activities â&#x20AC;˘ Unlike many of the other issues that we explore here at the Global Issues Symposium for Youth, landmines and cluster bombs are two problems that can be fixed within our lifetime, but only with continued and growing support.

Updated on August 19, 2010 by James Park

Extra Information Difference between ratified and signed: If a state has signed a treaty, it means that the state agrees with the terms of the treaty in principle, but is not legally bound to the treaty. If a state has ratified a treaty, the state has legally written the terms of the treaty into its constitution. Therefore, it is illegal for anyone within that state and its representatives to breach the terms of the treaty. In short, it is legally bound to follow the terms of the treaty. Once a treaty has entered into force after getting a designated number of ratifications, it comes into force and from that moment onwards all states that have ratified the treaty are bound by its terms, but not before. States that have not ratified the treaty do not have any legal obligation to follow any of the terms outlined in that treaty, though if enough support is given to a particular treaty, even states not party to that treaty are reluctant to breach it. A state may not sign nor ratify a treaty once it has come in to force. It may only accede to it. Accession means that the signing and ratifying of the treaty is done simultaneously. As of August 18th 2010: 156 states have ratified the Ottawa Treaty 39 states have not ratified the Ottawa Treaty 108 states have signed the Oslo Treaty From the 108 signatories, 38 states have ratified the Oslo Treaty 87 states have not signed the Oslo Treaty The latest state to ratify the Oslo Treaty was Comoros on 28 July, 2010 Visit http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/ to get yourself up to date on this treaty The following states are acknowledged by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) to be completely demined: Albania Bulgaria Costa Rica Czech Republic El Salvador France Greece Guatemala Honduras Macedonia Malawi Rwanda Suriname Swaziland Tunisia Zambia